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10.3. SR 05-02-2016 EOty1� ,.,�� Request for Action River To Item Number Mayor and City Council 10.3 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Work Session May 2, 2016 Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation Director Item Description Reviewed by Deer Herd Management Cal Portner, City Administrator Reviewed by Action Requested Discussion. Background/Discussion A deer herd management plan was last discussed with the City Council at a work session on June 1,2015. Since that time a volunteer group has been meeting to discuss possible rules and details of the management plan. An outline of these discussions is in the attachment. Members of this group include Park Superintendent Tim Sevcik, Commissioners Mike Niziolek and Dave Anderson,MNDNR Conservation officer Mitch Sladek, Council member Matt Westgaard, Steve Engelmeyer who manages the local Cargill hunt and Elk River Police Reserve Kelly Hinrichs. ERPD Sergeant Dave Dummer has also attended meetings. Representatives from the volunteer group will attend the work session to start the discussion and answer any questions. Financial Impact N/A Attachments ■ Deer Herd Management POWERED 6T Template Updoted 4/14 INAMIRE1 Elk River Deer Herd Management Archery Hunt As the metro area has continued to expand, parks have become enclosed with roadways and developments, isolating deer populations. With the lack of sufficient natural predators deer populations have increased beyond the carrying capacity of the land. In an effort to control deer populations, increase public safety on the roadways, and minimize impacts on the environment as well as private property surrounding park land;the City of Elk River recommends implementation of controlled archery deer hunts. The intent of these hunts is to maintain a healthy population of deer within the parks while minimizing the damage as a result of over population. Hunts will be managed by volunteers appointed by the City of Elk River. The hunts will follow the current year MN DNR deer hunting regulations with the following additional restrictions. Type of hunt For hunters 18 and older, archery hunting for antlerless whitetail deer or antlered buck having at least one 4-point antler. Bucks with less than one 4-point antler are not legal to harvest. For disabled hunters and hunters 17 years of age and under, harvest will be hunters' choice (one deer of either sex with no antler point restrictions). This is a walk-in hunt. All Elk River City parks are closed to public motor vehicle use. Vehicles must be parked in designated areas and display their vehicle permit; hunters are required to access their hunting location on foot. The retrieval of harvested deer must also be on foot, non-motorized carts for hauling deer are permitted. Eligibility All hunters must have a valid MN DNR archery license (including management license when applicable) All hunters must possess a current year City of Elk River hunting permit. All hunters must attend a pre- hunt orientation meeting. All hunters must be at least 18 years old to hunt alone. Youth less than 18 years of age may hunt if they have both a valid MN DNR license and a qualified adult supervisor. The adult supervisor must also possess a valid license or have completed a MN DNR education/safety course and must remain in very close proximity(<50 feet) of the youth at all times. Both the youth and the adult supervisor must complete their applications as a party. There must be one adult supervisor 21 or older to each youth under 18. Hunters under 18 years of age must shoot their own deer. Party hunting is allowed within the rules set by the MN DNR for party hunting,with the exception described above. Parties may consist of 2-4 people. Each party has only one chance of being drawn, regardless of how many archers there are in a party. All group members will be selected to hunt if the group is chosen and will be given consecutive lottery numbers. The party will have the priority equal to the average priority of the group. Each hunter must successfully complete an archery proficiency test consisting of placing 4 out of 6 shots into an 8" diameter target at 20 yards before applying. Your proficiency may be certified by making arrangements to have it witnessed at Tales and Trails Sport Shop in Zimmerman. Tails and Trails Sport Shop will charge a $5 fee for this service. Individuals with a big game violation in the last three years are not eligible to participate in this hunt. Violation of this rule will result in a lifetime hunting ban for this hunt. Application and fees Application fee: $5 per person due at the time of application submission Processing fee: $30 per person due at the pre-hunt orientation Priority Point for Lottery 20 hunters will be selected for the archery hunt in 2016, nine primary and 11 alternate. Primary hunters will have first priority in harvesting a deer. Upon successful harvest of a deer by a primary hunter, an alternate hunter will be notified of the opportunity to hunt. Within groups of applicants with equal priority point scores, random selection will determine priority. Lottery priority points are awarded as follows. One point for each year of unsuccessful selection. One point for antlerless deer harvest the previous year. The harvest of button bucks is discouraged. One point for Elk River residency. Hunting schedule Parks will remain open to the public at all times for the duration of the hunt. Hunts will take place each Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday during the archery deer season. One hunter at a time will be selected to hunt each of the following parks; Harris Island, Camp Cozy, Sedge Meadow, and Birch Meadow. Woodland Trails Park will have five hunting zones,with one hunter at a time in each zone. Note, hunts may be canceled at any time if issues arise warranting that closure. Emergency Contact info For emergencies and to report non-hunting related issues, dial 911. To report hunting violations dial #TIP on your cell phone, or dial 1-800-652-9093. Rules of the hunt 1. All hunters, except those with a handicap exemption, must hunt from an elevated stand a minimum of U from the ground. Approved handicap hunters may hunt in a ground blind and must be accompanied by a non-hunting mentor meeting the same qualifications as those needed for youth less than 18 years old. 2. Only portable stands supplied by the hunter are allowed. Permanent stands are not allowed. 3. Screw-in type steps are not allowed. Stands must be accessed by strap on steps or ladders. 4. All portable stands shall bear the name of the City of Elk River Hunter ID visible within five feet of the ground. 5. All hunters in stands must wear a safety harness while in stand. 6. Only one stand per hunter. 7. Stands may be placed the afternoon before your hunt and may be left for the entire three day hunting period. Stands left unattended are at your own risk. 8. Stands are not a reservation of a hunting location. 9. An article of blaze orange clothing must be worn when traveling to and from your hunting location. 10. All entrails of harvested deer shall be removed intact in a plastic bag and disposed of properly. 11. It is permissible to establish minimal shooting lanes. Only brush, small tree branches (1" in diameter or less) and buckthorn of all sizes may be removed for this purpose. No trees, big or small may be cut during the process. 12. For the morning hunt, each hunter must be in stand a minimum of one hour before sunrise and stay on stand until at least 90 minutes after sunrise, unless tracking a hit animal. 13. For the evening hunt, each hunter must be on stand a minimum of two hours before sunset. 14. The timing of the tracking of wounded deer is up to the individual hunter. Your bow may be carried while tracking on city park property, but not private property. Please ask permission before entering private property,whether it is posted or not. 15. To ensure the safety of the hunters, all hunters must contact the hunt manager one hour after sunset on each night of the hunt to alert the manager of their status. 16. Kills and wounded animals must be reported within 24 hours of harvest by contacting the hunt manager. There is zero tolerance for breaking any rules of the hunt. Violators hunting privileges for Elk River's herd management hunts will be suspended immediately and they will not be permitted to apply for future hunts.